The Hunger Games - Review

The Hunger Games - Review

By Jose

Plot:

Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match.

Cast:

Jennifer Lawrence - Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson- Peeta Mellark, Liam Hemsworth- Gale, Elizabeth Banks - Effie Trinket, Woody Harrelson - Haymitch, Lenny Kravitz - Cinna, Wes Bentley - Seneca Crane, Stanely Tucci - Caesar Flickerman, Willow Harrelson - Primrose Everdeen, Amandla Steinberg - Rue, Jack Quaid - Marvel, Alexander Ludwig - Cato, Isabelle Fuhram - Clove, Jacquelline Emerson - Fox Face, Donald Sutherland -President Snow

Review:

Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

I am a fan of the book and I have been waiting to see the movie. So I will warn you that I may come off a bit “fan boy-ish” for this review. So expect lots of love!

Also there might be spoilers so read with caution.

The Hunger Games movie transformed and projected the book wonderfully. It is a really great adaptation of a movie from a book. And before I go on yes there were some changes and differences in the movie compared to the book, but it was for the best and really made the film it’s own beast. Something to be enjoyed together.

The Hunger Games starts like the book with the day of the reaping. And quickly sends is to the capital. A city of the future. A city of obvious greed and stature. The cleansing and parading of the tributes. The training actually gets some more screen time then what was in the book while the dinners and more character building that the book gave us were really trimmed down. I don’t feel like it really effected the overall tone, yet the relationship/friendship that Katniss and Peeta build during this time in the book suffered in the movie. To some degree. They made it feel like Katniss was struggling in liking Peeta while Gale was at home watching. This is actually shown later on in the movie where Katniss and Peeta were kissing and getting more intimate and the scene cuts to Gale watching or not watching at home. Although I am on the Peeta side of this love triangle, due to reasons I can not discuss here because I don’t want to spoil anything from the books, but I guess it’s to build toward the second movie.


The games itself is really the meat of the movie. Where we see more of the Careers and their attitude toward everyone else and this need to kill off Katniss as soon as possible. Seeing what lengths that the game makers, Seneca Crane, will go for entertainment. I do like that we got to see the “Game Room”, I am calling it. Giving us a glimpse of the technology that is used in the Hunger Games that the books mention but do not describe in detail. I also liked that little sneak peak of the mutt-ations before being set loose of the remaining tributes. Although for some odd reason to me I felt the book had the end take place in the morning because I remember reading something about how the cornucopia was hot when they tried to climb it. In the movie it takes place during the night. And I fully understand the why it was done. Gives us a more ominous and scary atmosphere to the ending. And getting around the bloody carnage that the creatures caused.

It can be said that the book is a very brutal and emotional read. The movie turns that emotion and brutality up to ten! Seriously just watch the beginning of the games themselves. When Katniss goes into the tube and slowly pushed up. Seeing the cornucopia for the first time and all the other tributes around. The countdown dropping to zero. The tributes all running. The stabs, slashes, fighting, blood, tributes dropping like bloody sacks, that one younger tribute in the cornucopia getting killed brutally by Cato, Clove flinging knives at anything that moves. All this passes in a few moments yet it has you by the throat. Squeezing you so that your breathless watching what unfolds on the screen. Most of the deaths carry a very heart wrenching feel to them. Or a gasp inducing shock, especially when Cato is involved. So with all this emotions coming at you during the games, guess what happens? Yup someone shed a tear. The scene was worse to see than it was to read.


Now I want to hit on the other non-tribute characters for a bit. Haymitch actually came off better in the movie than the book. I guess because the likable Woody Harrelson was playing the drunken mentor. I did like seeing the transformation from the drunkard to the sober and hard working mentor to Peeta and Katniss sooner in the movie. And wow I did not recognize Elizabeth Banks as Effie. Especially during the reaping in the beginning. Later on when she has less makeup on you can finally see her through the character. Seneca Crane gets more screening time especially with President Snow. I honestly wish the more intimate scenes and character building parts between the traingin and the games were in the film so we could have gotten more of Cinna, Haymitch, and Effie.

Now the costumes and effects and makeup used to bring the games and the capital alive was really well done. I could makes sense as to not seeing green dyed people or heavily modded humans walking around. They kept it simple and they kept it so it would make sense and not be outrageous. The cornucopia was not what I was expecting. What was made for the movie was outstanding. Such a futuristic yet “modern” take on the classic horn. The filmmakers also kept the heavy gore out of the film. I can see why considering that the tributes are supposed to be aged between 12 and 18 years old. You Don’t want to have blood and guts flying around like a slasher movie. What was shown was done properly and with a bit of respect. Yes we see stabs and bloody flying. Some heads bashing in and nasty burns and cuts. Even some broken necks. I actually would have liked to see Cato’s death done in a similar, brutal, bloody way like the book. And that brings me to the dog like mutt-tations. I really thought we would have gotten something similar in looks to the what described in the book, but I still ended up happy with the way they turned out.

Final Thoughts:

Some things changed from the book for the movie, but for the better. The ending was changed a bit, just enough to keep us on the edge of the seats for the hopeful second movie. Hell even during a particular scene we even get a glimpse of what Katniss started, that takes place in the second book.
The Hunger Games was great. A movie that would gladly see again and again. It reminds me of the feelings I got when watching the Harry Potter films. A must see.

Rating: 5 out of 5